In recent times the requirements on buildings, e.g. multi-tenant buildings with several storeys, but also buildings with one or a few storeys only, being equipped with means admitting easy access for everyone by means of elevators are increasing. These requirements make the buildings more expensive since elevator arrangements are costly installations. Particularly if the building only comprises two, three or four floors, the conclusion might be that it is not worth the price installing an elevator arrangement at all.
This problematic is even more pronounced within the existing building stock, particularly for residential buildings, since it not only involves considerable investments to provide existing, e.g. older buildings with elevator arrangements. Such buildings are generally not adapted for receiving an elevator arrangement, and a considerable reconstruction of the building may be required, since such an installation is very space demanding. It may for example require using some of the available space normally used for apartments close to the staircase. Elevator arrangements must also be so located that easy access is provided for each apartment in the building.
These factors may in some instances even make it questionable whether it is worth the investment to equip an existing building with an elevator.
A more attractive alternative may in such a case be to demolish the building and instead construct new buildings equipped with elevator arrangements.
JPH1135254 proposes a home elevator for installation in an existing one or two-family building. It comprises an open deck on a lower floor and a veranda on an upper floor and is arranged for connection to an exterior wall on the window side of an existing house. Entrance is provided through respective landings. The elevator room goes up and down between the floors Entrance is provided through sliding doors to the veranda and the open deck. Such an arrangement is limited to be used for a one-family house, and in particular there is no safe connection to the building.
DE 102005050066 shows a system wherein a separate supporting structure, with supporting elements resting on the ground, and cross bars connected thereto, is arranged to support a number of balconies, such that all vertical loads on the balconies are taken up thereby. An elevator arrangement uses the same supporting structure as the balcony arrangement, and the elevator runs via rails connected to the supporting structure. Since buildings move with respect to the ground, or vice versa, several problems may be associated with such a construction. It is also a disadvantage of such a system that the provisioning of a soil foundation is not always desirable, or even possible.
It is also known to equip existing residential buildings with external elevator arrangements. Such external elevator arrangements are then built in connection to existing staircases, where a wing is built out next to each stairwell. This is an extremely expensive and space demanding alternative, which also is very time consuming to build and install, and out of question where available external space is limited, e.g. in areas where the building stock is dense.
Thus, the option based on existing solutions is to undertake an expensive, time-consuming installation, requiring space that for example normally is used as living areas, for the installation, which may reduce the size of existing living areas or other localities, e.g. offices or anything else, and is very costly. It may be so costly that it requires increasing the costs for the apartments, offices or similar that is not acceptable to tenants or owners.
The alternative would be either to demolish the building, or to leave it as it is, which may be unsatisfactory, in particular if other renovation measures are to be undertaken, since the standard of the building will then not be increased to a level corresponding to the costs for taking such other measures.
Also for the building of new houses it is sometimes a disadvantage that the costs and the space demanded for equipping the buildings with an elevator are unnecessarily high, e.g. if low-cost alternatives are to be built, or for more temporary buildings, which then may have to be built without an easy access facility comprising an elevator.
Particularly considering the fact that residential densification in urban areas is becoming more and more attractive at the same time as there is a need for less expensive apartments, further at the same time as the requirements on access facilities are increasing, it is realized that none of the existing solutions is satisfactory.